Question

In what way were the 1988 elections that voted out the Chilean dictator Pinochet initially a failure? A) He used a coup to regain power and resist democratic reforms. B) He defied the election results and stayed in power for two more years. C) He used the election to persecute democracy reformer Michelle Bachelet. D) He defied the election results by forcing the military to retake power.

Answer 1

The correct answer is B. The 1988 Chilean elections that voted out dictator Pinochet were initially a failure because Pinochet defied the election results and stayed in power for two more years.

The national plebiscite of Chile in 1988 was a referendum held in that country on Wednesday, October 5, 1988, during the military dictatorship, to decide whether or not Augusto Pinochet remained in power until March 11, 1997.

Of the total valid votes, the result was 44.01% for "Yes" and 55.99% for "No". The triumph of the "No" implied the call for democratic elections in 1989, which led both to the end of the dictatorship and to the beginning of the period called "the transition to democracy".

Even so, Pinochet left his post only in March 11, 1990, two years after the people expressed themselves against him at the polls.

Answer 2

B) He defied the election results and stayed in power for two more years.